


Levi and His Gang Of Troublemakers

by somalester



Series: Birthday Struggles [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, like really light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-02-12 04:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12951279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somalester/pseuds/somalester
Summary: Levi isn't any better at planning birthday parties than Eren, but tries to anyway. Jean and Armin try to prevent disaster, and Sasha only makes it worse (the food is worth it though).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is basically like the first part of the series, except it's Levi planning Eren's birthday (or trying to).   
> You don't necessarily need the first part, but I highly recommend it, as I'm going to reference it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading and comments are highly appreciated!

**Levi and His Gang Of Troublemakers**

 

 

Erwin has seen it coming.

To be exact, he's waited for Levi to come barging into his room with some sort of relationship problem ever since his thing with Eren started. Miraculously, nothing happened for almost three months, just until that morning, and the rapid knocking gives Levi away right from the start.

“Yes?” Erwin calls, and the door is being shoved open rather harshly.

For a few seconds, nothing happens and Erwin raises his eyebrows at Levi, who's standing in the entryway eyeing the floor as if it's somehow much more interesting than the Commander.

“Come in,” Erwin says and Levi frowns once more before doing so.

He offers Levi tea and lets him sip it before he even thinks about approaching the conversation; the Captain’s always been more likely to listen after a nice, hot drink. A few minutes later though, it's actually Levi who starts talking first.

“It's Eren,” he states bluntly and Erwin sits back in his chair.

“Go on.”

Levi sighs. “He's a kid, Erwin. I have no idea what the hell you’re supposed to do with those.”

“He's fifteen,” Erwin points out kindly and gets a scowl in return.

“Doesn't matter. He acts like he's five.”

Erwin doesn't bother reminding him that Eren, for all the misplaced anger and stubbornness, is probably much more mature than any of them give him credit for. Levi's only ever talking like this to disguise what's really on his mind; and the only person who knows that as well as Erwin is probably Hanji.

“What happened, Levi?” Erwin presses cautiously.

Levi stares at the last bit of liquid in his cup as if it has personally offended him.

“It's his birthday soon.”

Erwin has to search his mind for a bit, until he finds the memory of surveying Eren's papers, sometime between the their first talk in the basement and Eren's trial, but Levi's right. Erwin can also tell, by the way Levi's said it, as if he was talking about having to visit Hanji in her laboratory, that he's not exactly thrilled. It doesn't take a genius to know _why_ Levi dreads his own boyfriend’s birthday, but Erwin can't resist the temptation.

“One could think that's a happy occasion,” he comments offhandedly.

“You know damn well what I’m trying to tell you, old man,” Levi snaps.

Erwin tilts his head, eyes Levi's tensed posture and decides it's probably better not to rile him up any further.

“Eren doesn’t expect any miracles from you, you know? He'd probably be happy if you just gave him a handshake.”

Levi scowls. “If he'd really be happy about that, he's even more stupid than I thought.”

Erwin narrows his eyes, and only for a second considers explaining himself, unsure how much of Levi's snarky behavior was part of his weird sense of humor.

Even though Erwin prides himself in being quite good at reading people, there are still aspects about he Levi he can't quite get behind; like the way Levi doesn't seem to comprehend how smitten Eren is over him, even though it's more than obvious to everyone else.

Levi sighs into the silence, and his shoulders fall a bit. “I don't know what to do, Erwin. I understand none of this shit.”

 _This shit_ meaning a relationship, Erwin disagrees with the Captain; even if only for the reason that Levi's been much more happier in the last months.

Yes, Erwin still hears Levi frequently shouting at his squad, telling them _you'll all get yourself killed if you don't start listening to me_ but it's laced with worry now, instead of annoyance, and sometimes Levi does tell Eren to _stop bothering me and go annoy your friends_ , but it's spoken with so much fondness hidden in his irritation that even Eren doesn't take him seriously. And sometimes, even most of the time, actually, they attend breakfast together, walking with just the appropriate amount of space between them, and Levi looking like he's getting enough sleep for the first time since returning from his first mission as a Survey Corps member. The signs are small, might even be irrelevant if applied to other people, but it's like a shift in gravity for Levi.

So, even though Erwin doesn't quite know how, that thing between the Captain and their titan shifter does seems to be working.

Erwin tells Levi as much, which gets him an irritated scoff and an outright refusal to discuss his behavior further, but Levi does admit that he's been quite happy with Eren, save for Eren's upcoming birthday.

“He's so excited for it, it's ridiculous,” he grumbles. “I told you, he acts like a five-year old.”

Erwin thinks to himself that it's quite obvious that that's more endearing to Levi than anything else, but doesn't dare say so as he does value his life as well as their friendship.

“You could ask his friends,” he suggests instead, his mind jumping to the memory of Eren tugging Sasha and Jean into his office all those months ago and finds the thought of them getting dragged into yet another birthday party planning rather amusing. “They know him best after all.”

Levi frowns. “I'm their Captain,” he states, almost ridiculously serious. “I can't have them lose respect for me.”

Erwin barely withholds the urge to chuckle. “They won't expect your punches to hurt any less after celebrating Eren's birthday, trust me.”

Levi seems to ponder that for a second - which, for all that's worth, is ridiculous, but Erwin refrains from commenting on it - before finally nodding. “I guess, I don't have another choice.”

Levi makes a face as if he's just condemned himself to some sort of mortal sacrifice before standing up and turning to leave.

“Levi,” Erwin says and the Captain stills in his movements. “Eren will appreciate it.”

Levi gives him a small, grateful smile before leaving his office - the only thing that tells Erwin he's considering his words.

But Levi's never been very expressive and Erwin's learned to read his tells over the years. He reaches for his own cup of tea after the door has slammed shut, and finds it having just passed the perfect temperature to drink it with.

 

* * *

 

 

Sometimes Jean regrets helping Eren out with his surprise birthday party.

Admittedly, getting Eren to arrange him a date with Armin was a pretty good payback, but if _one more person_ starts asking him random questions about flowers he'll probably punch someone. Preferably Eren.

Though, considering he's been paired up with Eren during training, he’s gotten several of those punches, and none have succeeded in sating his irritation so far.

“Hey,” Eren complains after a few rounds of hitting and ducking, when they switch their roles of attacker and defender. “What's got you so riled up today?”

Jean grunts, weighs the wooden sword in his hands and considers Eren's stance as he answers. “You know, you really could've picked Levi's flowers yourself.”

There's a little smile on Eren's lips - _that little shit_ \- and he easily counters when Jean attacks him, using the technique Levi's been trying to implant into their brains for the last few days.

“Hanji only had you do it because you seemed pretty enthusiastic about it,” Eren smirks and Jean is _so very close_ to send the training rules to hell and really start attacking Eren. Fortunately for the brunette, it just so happens to be the moment Levi walks past them, and needless to say he's not exactly thrilled to find them talking.

“I recall giving you instructions,” the Captain says flatly. Jean mutters his “sorry Sir” and backs off; he _does_ value his life more than his need to punch Eren (and punching Eren, all things considered, is even more of a bad idea now that he and Levi are sort of a thing).

Eren though, Eren seems to have a particularly pressing death wish today, because he says “No, I don't remember that, Sir.”

Levi purses his lips, looking even more unimpressed now. “Okay then. Mind if I demonstrate it on you?”

Eren gulps. “No, uh, I think I'll manage.”

Levi scoffs. “Good for you.” And yeah, he sounds not an ounce less pissed off, but there's something fond in his expression, next to the obvious threat of mortal injuries. Honestly, Jean thinks it's a little unfair how Eren gets away with things like that, when everyone else would've had their limbs rearranged long ago.

Eren, having noticed Jean's slightly disdainful glance, grins at him. “Something the matter?”

Jean makes sure to not go easy on him during their next training rounds.

By the end of the afternoon, Jean's muscles are aching, his motivation to fight Eren has subsided to almost nothing and he hates Levi a little bit. Okay, maybe more than a little bit. Because just as he turns to leave the field and return to his room, the Captain calls his name.

“Kirstein!”

Jean freezes.

“Blouse!”

Sasha makes a horrified squeaking sound.

“And Arlert! I'm not done with you!”

Armin shares a nervous glance with Jean, and they both turn around to face Levi, who's staring at them expectantly.

In the end, the Captain wasn't calling them to deliver a death sentence of some sorts or make them scrub the communal toilets again (though that was practically the same thing). No, the first words that come out of his mouth were so absurd Jean's pretty sure he must've misheard them.

“What?”

Levi glares at him. “Do I really need to repeat myself, Kirstein?”

“Yes,” Jean prompts, because he doesn't dare believing what he heard.

Levi sighs expressively, but doesn't seem to be overly angry at him, which Jean takes as a plus. “I want to celebrate Eren's birthday.”

Jean blinks. And he's close to ask the Captain to repeat himself again, but fortunately, Sasha saves him. “Does that mean we'll get to eat meat again?”

Levi stares at her irritably. “If you think you can make something he likes that contains meat, yes.”

Sasha looks as if he’s just handed her the keys to their larder.

“Uhm, Sir,” Armin ventures nervously. “If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you have in mind?”

Levi sighs and rubs his temple with his right hand. There's a terrifyingly long silence, in which he seems to choose his words very carefully. “I'm not…” And the last words are dragged out of him as if they're some terrible secret. “Not exactly sure yet.”

 _In other words, he has no idea_ , Jean realizes and he's so dumbstruck by the idea that Captain Levi is basically asking them for advice that he fails to answer.

Sasha doesn't. Of course she doesn't. “Does that mean I can choose the food then?”

Levi rolls his eyes. “I already said; as long as Eren will like it, I don't care. Knock yourself out.”

Sasha whimpers and looks like she's contemplating hugging the Captain - which would mean certain death for them all, so Jean’s quick to intervene.

“I mean no disrespect Captain, but I don't think I know Eren well enough for this. Mikasa would -“

“Mikasa still dislikes me,” Levi interrupts.

Jean's first thought is that _Dislike_ is putting it rather mildly, as Mikasa’s always had a better eye on Levi ever since his relationship with Eren started. Still, she probably holds her respect for the Captain about as high as her blades. And Jean is about to tell Levi so, but then-

“Besides, you don't know me at all and you still did well enough last time, if I recall correctly, Kirstein.”

An amused smile spreads across Armin’s face, which is quite adorable, but not nearly enough to make up for Jean's painful memories.

“But Captain-“

“Considering I don't want to deal with more stupid questions than necessary, and you seem to have understood that part, you can be in charge of the decorating for… whatever we will be doing.”

Levi frowns, obviously not happy with their kind of tangled situation.

Jean crosses his arms in front of his chest and silently pictures strangling Eren. And Hanji, for good measure. It doesn't do much good to fight the dread that's creeping up his spine though.

Armin regards him with a sympathetic glance, which Jean thinks he definitely deserves, as he's just been condemned to go pick flowers.

Again.

Levi sighs and pinches his nose. “Arlert, you've known Eren the longest, so I want you to help me with the planning. Try to think of something that won't end in a complete disaster.”

Armin nods and smiles, though it looks a bit scared - which Jean can't blame him for.

The Captain regards them with a stern glance. “Try not to fuck this up, okay?”

Jean and Armin swallow and nod, Sasha’s still so excited she nearly forgets to confirm she's understood the orders as well. Levi rolls his eyes and stalks off, leaving them behind in a strange sort of daze.

Sasha snaps out of it first, collapsing on the ground right on the spot she's standing on, whimpering a bit, but sounding way too blissful in Jean's opinion.

Armin frowns. “Did he just… order us to plan Eren's birthday?”

Jean nods, feeling the overwhelming urge to hide in the blonde’s shoulder.

_For fucks sake, not again._

 

* * *

 

From one day to the next, Levi starts acting weird.

Which is weird in itself, because Levi's always been pretty odd, but there's a strange shift in his behavior that appears from one day to the next, and Eren's at a loss pretty fast.

He sleeps in Levi's room most of the time now, but on some days, when Levi has too much paperwork to do or one of the other recruits has fucked up bad enough for Levi to have to fix it, Eren doesn't get to see him before he falls asleep.

Which is why he only notices Levi's sudden shift in the morning, and thus has no idea what to make of it.

Levi's usually the one who wakes up first, and Eren's wake up call is more often than not Levi's fingers gently threading through his hair.

This morning, it's eerily silent.

Eren frowns his way through escaping the throes of sleep, and when he's fully conscious, the first thing he does is blink against the faint morning sunlight in search of the man he's sharing his bed with. Sure enough, Levi's laying next to him, and his grey eyes are fixed on Eren like he's a puzzle Levi's trying very hard to solve.

Eren awkwardly clears his throat.

“Uh, is something… wrong?”

Levi blinks. “Excuse me?”

“You're staring at me,” Eren clarifies.

“Am I not allowed?” Levi asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, I mean sure, but I… I mean I just-”

There's a faint curl on Levi's lips, the slightest trace of an amused smile, and Eren gives up on trying to explain himself.

Yeah, he's not exactly gotten better at this.

Though, the last few months probably rank as the best time he's ever had. There's always someone waiting for him at the end of the day, and Levi never fails to give him a kiss in the morning, and sometimes he even gets them extra rations of food - _God_ , Sasha would have his _head_ of she found out - and there's something in the way he holds Eren when no one else is looking, that makes him feel unbelievably loved. Levi leans forward and kisses him lightly on the lips, his fingers curling in his hair again before he pulls back and moved to get out of the bed.

Eren can't help the protesting whine that escapes his throat; he always hates having to let Levi go in the mornings, and usually, Levi humors him and lets him have his way for a few minutes.

This time though, Levi rolls his eyes and grumbles “You're going to make me late, brat. Shit, you're going to make yourself late.”

Eren pouts.

It doesn't work.

Levi walks away from the bed and starts changing into his Survey Corps uniform. And not that Eren’s not enjoying the sight, but he can't help noticing the stiffness in Levi's movements, and the way his muscles seem tense, much like they were a few months ago, before Levi started to get used to Eren's presence.

“You shouldn't wait too long to get breakfast,” Levi advises him sharply when he's fully dressed. “If Sasha eats yours, I'm not going to help you.”

Eren only rolls his eyes and buries his face deeper into the cushions when he hears the door of their room slam shut.

The warm blankets still carry Levi's smell, and Eren's about as motivated to get up as he is to clean the stables this afternoon. It's only the prospect of missing breakfast (and he doesn't doubt Levi would make good on his threat) that gets him moving.

Fair enough, the tables are packed when Eren arrives there, and everyone's more or less finished, so he's kind of glad for the weird atmosphere that greets him among his squad. Otherwise Sasha would've already eaten his share for sure.

Jean spares him a single, irritated glance as he sits down across from him and Armin.

Eren doesn’t think much of it; it's probably justified considering he's kind of the reason Jean had to go collect flowers for Levi - which nobody has let him forget. Sasha's looking at her food even more dazedly than usual, but Eren doesn't worry about that either.

It's Armin’s nervous fidgeting hat gets Eren to frown.

“Is something wrong?” Armin jumps and stares at him.

Eren blinks. “Uh.”

Armin shakes his head, as if trying to get rid of a song that's stuck in his mind. “No, nothing’s wrong. I'm just tired. Yeah.”

He looks down at his plate like he's just now noticed it's already empty. “I think we should get going.”

Armin doesn't have to clarify who _we_ is; Jean is more than eager to follow him and the two have left the table before Eren even has the chance to open his mouth again.

He looks questioningly at Mikasa. “What's going on with them?”

She shrugs. “I don't know. They've been acting weird all morning.”

“Levi too,” Eren murmurs, staring down at his breakfast while replaying the events of that morning. “I don't know how, he was just… behaving strange.”

Mikasa tenses, watching him with worried eyes and Eren sighs. “It's not that bad, Mikasa. He would never hurt me or anything. It was just… weird.”

She eyes him a moment longer, but apparently decides to trust his word and takes another bite of her breakfast, brows furrowed.

“Sasha was even more obnoxious this morning,” she eventually says lowly, barely loud enough for Eren to hear. “She wouldn't let me get up before I told her how often we had meat back in Shinganshina.”

Eren stares. “What?” he asks, a little too loud, maybe.

Mikasa shrugs. “And then she wanted to know how much you like it compared to other foods. Any idea what's up with that?”

Eren shakes his head, completely and utterly confused. _What the hell is going on?_


	2. Chapter 2

Armin approaches him a few days later after dinner.

Levi almost wishes he hadn't asked the blonde kid to help him; everyone else wouldn't already have figured something out after so little time. And he's so not in the mood to deal with any more of this right now; _shit, why did he ever think this is a good idea?_

“Corporal!” Armin whisper-yells and falls into a hasty salute Levi silently deems unnecessary. They're on a team to celebrate Eren Yeager’s birthday after all.

“What?” He asks, a bit more irritated than intended, probably. Armin flinches a bit and Levi sighs. He hadn't meant to scare the boy, but he's had one hell of a long day and this conversation is about the last thing he wants to do.

“I- I think I have an idea. For Eren's birthday, I mean. Sir.”

Levi's feeling slight dread for reasons he can't really pinpoint. “Do tell.”

Armin hesitates for a split second. “Well, with all due respect, Corporal, but you have to have quite a lot of work, and…” He hesitates again. Levi's not feeling very patient, especially because they're standing in the hallway next to the dining hall that's slowly emptying - a sign of the day finally ending.

“Well?” He prompts when Armin's silence stretches a couple of seconds.

“I just thought you could just spend the day with him. Just you two.” Armin's talking so hurriedly now Levi almost doesn't follow. “I mean, we could still have a special dinner in the evening and all, but I think it'd mean a lot to him.”

Levi frowns and watches Armin eyeing him nervously, as if he's afraid Levi's going to make him muck out the stables for his suggestion. And, well, Levi's not above doing that to whoever particularly annoys him, but he lets himself consider Armin's words. Eren has rarely complained during that new relationship of theirs, usually because he seems too nervous to do so, but Levi's learned to read him - which is not that hard considering the kid's wearing his heart on his sleeve - and so far, Eren doesn't seem to mind him doing paperwork for the most of the day. Then again, Eren's sentimental as shit, so Armin is probably right.

“Think of anything in particular?”

Armin blinks, apparently surprised he even got this far. “Well, not really. But I think, Eren will appreciate it no matter what you're doing.”

Again, Armin is right, and Levi knows that. Eren would probably be happy if they just took the horses for a ride around the HQ, but Levi refuses to settle for that. Levi spots Jean lingering around next to he entrance of the dining hall and sighs. “Thank you, Arlert.”

Armin smiles. “It'll be fine, Captain.”

He's hurrying off to Jean before Levi can catch up on the fact that one of the members of his squad, a fifteen year-old, no less, has just attempted to give him a pep talk. When he does, it's too late anyway and he decides to go to his room before anyone else has the brilliant idea of indulging him in a conversation.

When Levi enters, Eren is sitting on his bed reading one of the books about fighting techniques Levi has stored on his shelves.

“You're late,” he complains, although with a smile on his face.

Levi rolls his eyes. “I wouldn't have been if your friends hadn't made me.”

Eren doesn't ask what happened; which Levi is glad for, because he's too tired to think of something plausible instead of _I needed to discuss your birthday party with Armin, took longer than expected, sorry!_

Well, it's not like his new squad doesn't strain his nerves any other day of the week - sometimes it seems that's all the 104th is doing, with Jean and Eren fighting like twelve year-olds, Sasha disappearing into the kitchen at inconvenient times, and Mikasa still gracing him with death glares whenever she thinks he's not looking. But above all that, well, they're his charge, so he can't really resent them either.

“Levi?” There's something tugging at the straps across his sides and he finds Eren standing next to him, eyes blinking at him almost in concern.

“What?” Levi snaps, though it's more confused than irritated.

“You didn't answer me,” Eren says.

Levi finds he can't remember the question, and also doesn't really want to admit he just pretty much spaced out for a second. He kisses Eren as a way of distracting him, which works as well as it does every time, with a tiny gasp escaping Eren's mouth and a shudder passing through his body as he hastily presses back against Levi's lips. And, yeah, Levi's not exactly opposed to just doing this for the rest of the evening, but this time, Eren breaks their kiss just a few seconds later.

“What's going on, Levi?” He whispers, and Levi's pretty sure Eren's seen right through his try to distract him.

He sighs, and silently curses himself for letting the kid close enough to get into this mess. “Nothing you have to worry about, brat.”

Eren frowns. “Levi…”

Levi rolls his eyes. “Come on. How would you feel if Erwin dropped a shitload of paperwork on your desk every day?”

Eren's still staring at him like he doesn't buy a word of what Levi's saying, and Levi can practically feel another speech of _you can trust me_ and _whatever it is, I'll help you_ being prepared, and so he hurries to kiss him again. Eren makes a protesting noise in the back of his throat, but it dies the second Levi gently bites his lower lip. Levi lets his hands rest on Eren's waist and feels the muscles there twitching, trying to draw closer to him.

He's playing dirty, and it's probably not entirely fair, considering it still takes nothing more than a few well-placed touches and kisses to unravel Eren. But shit, he has enough on his mind without Eren talking about _feelings_ and _trust_ and other stuff Levi would rather not think about. When they finally part, there's still a question in Eren's brilliantly green eyes, and Levi knows Eren's far from giving up on this.

But for the moment, Levi's won and Eren lets himself be tugged towards the bed.

 

* * *

 

 “This is never going to work.”

Armin frowns at him. “Come on Jean, you have to give the Captain a little more credit.”

Jean snorts. “Have you listened to him? He's got no idea what he's doing.”

Armin hastily throws a glance at their surroundings and Jean knows that that would've been his death sentence had Levi overheard their conversation, but fortunately they're halfway done cleaning the stables and Levi's nowhere to be seen. “He likes Eren,” he states.

“That doesn't mean it's the best idea to suggest a _date_. Christ, does either of them even know what that is?” Jean tries to envision Captain Levi on a date and fails.

“But considering Levi barely has time for him that's the best present I could think of,” Armin argues.

And Jean, well, Jean can think of quite a bunch of other ideas that make up for lost time, but as they're all more than inappropriate he decides not to mention any of them. The mental images his head provides him with are traumatizing enough for him to happily turn to the idea of a date again. “And what did you tell Levi to do?”

Armin, now suddenly looking quite sheepish, shrugs. “Nothing specific. I mean, it's better if Levi thought of it himself, isn't it?”

Jean almost chokes on thin air. “You do realize that Levi's probably going to take him fight Titans or something, right?”

Armin frowns. “I think even Levi knows the difference between a date and an expedition.”

Jean fights the urge to groan. “This is _never_ _ever_ going to work.”

“Hey-“ Armin starts to protest, but before the word has fully left his mouth, there are heavy steps and Sasha jumps right into the muck heap they've been collecting. Anyone else _(Captain Levi)_ and they would've both been in one hell of a lot of trouble, but Sasha merely graces her dirtied shows with a single disgusted look and then turned her attention back to Jean and Armin.

“What's not going to work?”

Jean shares a quick glance with the blonde, but as Levi's personally recruited her to their team, there's no reason to lie to her.

“Eren's birthday,” Jean says.

Sasha's eyes go wide. Armin intervenes before she can even open her mouth, which is probably for the best. “Jean is just worried about Levi spending the day alone with Eren.”

Sasha visibly deflated as she relaxes. “Thank God, and I thought I'd sneaked into the larder for nothing.”

Jean rolls his eyes. Armin stares at her as if she's committed a grave crime.

“Do you think Levi will allow me to make deer?” She sighs wistfully. “I haven't had it in years.”

Armin blinks, seemingly still partly in shock. “Uh, I think Eren likes it. And that was Levi's only condition, right?”

Sasha's face lights up and she starts jumping up and down, rambling about all the different possibilities of cooking it, and Jean decides against reminding her that they still have to get the meat - which isn't guaranteed at all, given how little forests there are left for hunting.

Armin clears his throat and tries to interrupt her as politely as possible, which of course doesn't work, so Jean simply goes back to work and stops listening to her. They still have half of the stables to do, and god knows they'll have to face the Captain’s wrath if it's not done on time. Fortunately for them, it's not much later that a second pair of footsteps approaches the stables and Sasha is interrupted by Eren.

“Guys?” He asks, blinking at Sasha who's still standing right next to the horse shit Jean's spent the last half an hour collecting. “What's going on?”

The three of them share a slightly panicked glance and silence stretches between them.

It's Armin who clears his throat first. “We, uh, we just talked about how rarely we get to eat meat.”

“More like Sasha was talking about it,” Jean mutters.

Sasha's face falls. “Hey!”

Eren frowns. “Weren't you supposed to report back to the Captain?”

Sasha blinks. Then, realization dawns on her face and she pales visibly. “Oh. Oh no.”

Before they have time to comprehend what's happening, she turns and runs out of the stables with the speed of someone who's seen a Titan.

Eren sighs and drops down onto a bench next to the door.

Armin eyes him worriedly. “Is something wrong?”

Eren doesn't answer for a whole of five minutes, during which Jean starts to feel like a third wheel.

“Levi's being weird,” Eren finally mumbles.

Jean makes a face at Armin. The blonde is obviously panicking a bit, and Jean can't really blame him. They can't tell Eren the truth after all.

“How so?” Armin asks while Jean silently doubts that indulging Eren will help any.

“I don't know!” Eren exclaims, curling his hands to fists. “He's just… He doesn't talk to me as much anymore. And he's even more irritated than usual.”

Armin sends Jean a look that's clearly screaming for help and Jean can only raise his shoulders in defeat.

 _I told you_ , he thinks. _I told you this is never going to work._ But Armin, _damn him,_ doesn't seem to be discouraged by the fact that they're going to have to keep Eren from doubting Levi just because Humanity's Strongest can't handle a relationship. Yeah, ignoring Eren seems way more appealing to Jean at this point, but judging by Armin’s expectant expression, it's too late for him to get out.

With a long-suffering sigh, he puts his shovel away and walks over to Armin. Eren's staring up at them with an almost desperate expression and Jean wonders just when the hell he’d taken that one wrong step in his life. It probably was joining the Survey Corps. Or listening to Eren in the first place when he said he'd celebrate the Captain’s birthday. Yeah, it was probably the latter.

 

* * *

 

Ever since he's started to think about returning Eren's favor, Levi's been dreading one particular conversation.

A conversation that is more than overdue now.

Not that he had any chance of escaping it, anyway, with Hanji standing right next to him.

“You look like you're waiting for your execution,” she tells him cheerfully.

He considers her with a wintering glance, which, of course, doesn't bother her in the slightest.

“Come on, Levi. Spill!” She presses and Levi briefly considers reminding her that they're supposed to be supervising Eren's Titan transformation.

He sighs, knowing that he's not going to be able to avoid this conversation anyway. “I want to do something special for Eren's birthday.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh, you're serious, aren't you? That's _so_ -“

“Watch it,” Levi growls before she has the chance to finish the sentence.

She rolls her eyes. “Okay, okay. But I want details. Do you have anything planned?”

“I've assigned Blouse to make a special dinner. And no, you don't get to bring alcohol again. They're all just kids.”

“But Levi-“

“No.”

She huffs. “Fine.”

He takes a deep breath. A few meters away from them, Eren's standing in the middle of a giant field, no doubt mentally preparing for his transformation.

“I don't know what to do with him. On his birthday, I mean.”

Hanji grins at him. “Well I could think of a few suggestions.”

“Not like that!” Levi hisses.

She shrugs. “I don't think he'd mind.”

Eren sure as fuck wouldn't mind, Levi knows that very well himself, but that's not what he's trying to to for him. Before he can tell her so, there's lightning and thunder, and a second later Eren's Titan is standing in front of them. He turns a bit clumsily and crooks his head at Hanji and Levi, was if to say _Well?_

“Do you understand us, Eren?” She yells up to him. He lets out a huff of steam and nods. Levi winces at Hanji's answering squeal. “Try to build a house, Eren! Just like you've done it before.”

The Titan nods and slowly walks over to the pile of logs they provided him with.

“Armin said I should spend he day with him,” Levi eventually says. He feels Hanji eyeing him incredulously. “You asked Armin?”

Levi tenses. “I figured since he knows Eren best-“

She shoves him lightly with her shoulder, laughing way too loud for Levi's liking. “Oh Levi, you really like him, don't you?”

He makes a point of stepping a away from her. “Shut the fuck up, four-eyes.”

“You know…” She glances over at Eren, and her fond expression ponders on the verge of creepy, considering the boy's still in Titan form. “I've never seen you make so much effort for someone.”

Unfortunately, Levi knows she's got a point, for once.

“Don't make that face,” she chides him lightly.

Levi scoffs. “I don't have a clue about birthdays, shittyglasses. Or relationships. I really don't know what to do.”

He's kind of glad that Hanji's attention is divided between him and Eren's attempts to build a house, because he definitely hadn't planned to get quite so honest with her.

“I don't think he expects a miracle from you, Levi,” Hanji says, way more carefully than she normally is. “Just spend the day with him, it's going to be fine.”

And just like that, as if _it's going to be fine_ is some sort of code, everything goes to shit.

There's a deafening roar and Levi barely has the time to process that that's definitely not part of their experiment, before the house Eren started building is smashed to pieces by his own fist.

Not good. Definitely not good.

His blades are drawn and he's up in the air before the first curse has even left his mouth. He doesn't know what has pushed Eren out of control, but whatever it is is now swinging the giant Titan’s fists, reducing the neatly stacked logs to nothing more than wooden chips.

Levi makes quick and precise work of his neck, maybe cutting less deep into the flesh than he normally would have, just enough for him to reach into the Titan’s body and grab Eren by the shoulder. The Titan is still swinging, even more ferociously now that someone has attacked his weak spot. Levi knows he doesn't have the time to wake Eren up, and roughly pulls on Eren's real body, until the upper half is free and he can grab him around the chest to remove him completely from the Titan’s flesh.

The giant humanoid creature drops to the ground like the dead weight it is, and Levi returns to the ground with Eren in his arms. He carefully lays him down onto the soft grass and searches him for any sign of consciousness, but he’s out cold.

Levi hears Hanji run towards them, already screaming various questions at Eren, which obviously doesn't help at all, so Levi does his best to tune her out.

“ _Oi_.” He shakes Eren roughly by his shoulders. “Wake up already, brat.”

He knows, logically, that once Eren loses consciousness after his transformation, he won't be waking up any time soon. But _shit_ , Eren's definitely not supposed to be that exhausted after a shift that barely lasted five minutes.

“Come on.”

Eren doesn't respond. Levi sits back, running his hand through his hair, feeling incredibly tired. There were more than just a few questions running through his head - _Why did you lose control, why didn't you tell me if something is bothering you, why aren't you waking up_ \- but it's all too late now anyway.

A tiny groan immediately snaps his focus back to the boy laying next to his knees.

“Eren?”

A confused frown appears on Eren's forehead. “Levi?” He coughs. “What happened, I don't…”

As much as Levi wants those questions in his head answered, there will be time for that later. “You lost control,” he explains, quickly but gently. “Try not to let Hanji pamper you to death. We'll talk later.”

Eren blinks, apparently still very much out of it, but as Hanji has finally caught up to them, Levi knows it's time for him to step aside for the moment.

Hanji immediately begins to bombard him with questions, out of which Eren only manages to answer one, before he’s fast asleep again, and Hanji decides to get him back to the HQ.

They have him on a carriage before long, and once their small group has reached the castle, Eren is wheeled away to the infirmary.

It's not like any of their doctors could help Eren - they're a bit short on Titan-shifter experience after all - but it still calms him to know that there's someone trying to help the kid.

Levi returns to his office, filing in a report for Erwin on the incident, and it's already late afternoon when there's a knock on the door.

“Levi?”

It's Eren, still a bit too pale for Levi's liking, but awake and on his own feet. Levi puts the papers in his hands down. “Come in.”

Eren does, gently closing the door behind him as if trying not to wake a sleeping animal.

Levi allows himself a second to take in the boy's appearance and sighs. There's poorly concealed worry in Eren's expression, and his eyes seem to dart from one point in the room to another; looking everywhere but at Levi. The suspicion that something mayor has gone wrong strengthens, but Levi forces himself to focus on the task at hand. “What happened back there, Eren?”

The brunette bites his lip. “I… I don't know.”

Levi snorts. “You haven't had problems with this since before my birthday.”

Eren grimaces, still avoiding Levi's gaze. “I guess I was just worried, and my concentration slipped. I'm sorry, Captain.”

“Levi,” he immediately corrects sharply. “I'm not talking to you as your commanding officer. I just want to know if something is bothering you.”

The boy in front of him hesitates.

“Eren,” Levi says warningly.

Eren sighs. “You've been distant.”

His words are so quiet they almost don't reach him. Levi frowns. “What?”

Eren's eyes widen as he rushes to explain. “I just… You talk less and you're late sometimes and… and…”

Levi's out of his seat and halfway across the room before he even realizes it. What Eren is saying makes a terrifying lot of sense, considering he's been wrapped up in the planning of Eren's birthday for the last weeks. Eren blinks at him, and Levi realizes he's been staring at him silently for the last few seconds.

“Eren,” he murmurs. “ _Shit_. I didn't mean to…”

Eren frowns at him, clearly not following. Levi can't blame him. He's not making a whole lot of sense after all.

There's also nothing he can really do to explain this, really. Or maybe he could, were he someone else, someone who is better at words and relationships. Erwin for example. He's pretty sure Erwin would've solved this situation in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, he's not Erwin, and thus, Levi doesn't do the logical thing and calm Eren down, but simply kisses him instead.

Eren makes a breathy noise, more out of surprise than anything else, and Levi keeps it light and short, trying to make up for the confusion and worry he'd caused. When they break apart, Eren looks a bit more at ease at least.

“Look, kid.” Levi holds him close by his waist, keeping their foreheads touching. “I have more work than usual currently, and it's annoying me. But there's nothing wrong with you, or us, so please don't worry.”

Eren's staring up at him with those stupidly bright green eyes of his as he nods, and Levi feels like a Titan has punched him in the stomach. There's so much _trust_ in that gaze it almost makes him want to throw up.

_Fuck, all of this better be worth it._


	3. Chapter 3

To say Eren was excited for his birthday might've been a slight exaggeration, considering there's an army of Titans they need to worry about, but it was something nice to look forward to nonetheless. He didn't expect Levi to do anything special for the occasion, really. Eren knows that while Levi definitely cares more than he tends to let on, traditions such as birthdays aren't exactly high up his agenda.

So, when he's woken up by a soft kiss to his lips and warm rays of sunshine tickling his face, confusion is his initial reaction.

“Levi?” He mumbles sleepily, trying to pry his eyes open as quickly as possible. “What… Are we late?”

Normally, Levi makes sure his whole squad gets up before the sun has fully risen, a necessity for completing their daily tasks.

Levi snorts. “No. It's your birthday, brat. I let you sleep in.”

 _That_ gets Eren moving. He's sitting up so quickly Levi barely has time to blink at him. “You remembered!”

Levi stares at him as if he's personally offended him. “Of course I did.”

Eren can't help the goofy grin spreading on his face.

Levi rolls his eyes. “Don't get-“

Eren hugs him.

Levi tenses up for half a second, before he relaxes into Eren's arms with a resigned sigh. “I was saying, don't get sentimental.”

“Too late,” Eren mumbles into his shoulder.

They stay in bed for a little longer, with Eren's arms around Levi's chest and the occasional kiss pressed to each other's lips. It's nice and calm, something Eren can't remember feeling ever since the Titans breached Wall Maria.

Well, it's nice and calm until Eren's stomach reminds him that they're probably late for breakfast.

Levi, of course, isn't exactly thrilled when Eren suddenly starts scrambling out of bed. “What the fuck do you think you're doing?”

Eren freezes in the middle of reaching for his uniform. “Uh, breakfast. I mean, if we don't hurry, there's not going to be anything left.”

Levi rolls his eyes. “You know your friends better than I do. There is nothing left by now.”

Eren feels almost embarrassingly sad.

“But I told them to pack us lunch, so we're not going to starve,” Levi adds, which rips Eren out of his sudden misery.

“You _packed us lunch?”_

Eren thinks he's made his question pretty clear, but instead of telling him why they won't be able to eat at the HQ, Levi orders him to get dressed.

Knowing Levi, practically anything is on the table. In the back of his mind Eren wonders if he should be more worried, but the simple fact that Levi remembered his birthday and even has something planned for the occasion makes him excited enough to forget about his potential worries.

Levi leads him to the stables, where their horses have already been saddled. Levi refuses to tell him where they're going, and Eren doesn't bother asking more than twice (the second time only for the sake of annoying Levi).

It's strange, leaving the HQ with only Levi next to him, but then again, it's almost liberatingly so. There's no comrades, no Commander, and no mission. This time, it's all about them and it makes Eren's chest swell for the man next to him.

There's also no Titans they need to fight. They spur their horses just because they can, not because they have to run away. Eren's rapid heartbeat is sorely fueled by stupid, jittery butterflies that make him feel as though they're unstoppable. To be fair, he's racing through the woods with Humanity's Strongest in tow. He can't help giving in to the illusion that builds itself around him.

He hasn't gotten around very far inside Wall Rose; aside from supply runs for the Survey Corps or camps during his time as a trainee, he's pretty much only ever seen the barracks and other military bases. Thus, he loses his orientation pretty quickly after they've passed a certain distance and Levi turns further into the woods rather than towards the large city they're sometimes allowed to go to.

His curiosity only grows when he notices that they're steadily going towards the walls, but he doesn't ask Levi again; mainly because he's seen enough of Aruro’s bloody tongue to not want a similar experience.

But that doesn't stop him from watching Levi out of the corner of his eye. He's always thought of Levi as beautiful; but now, with every responsibility he has non-existent, at least for a moment, and nobody but Eren he has to look out for, the tension has melted from his face. The sharp edges disappeared, the ever present frown detached, he looks about five years younger. Not like a commanding officer who's seen way more than Eren even wants to think about, but a young man with the wings of freedom on his back.

“Hey! _I said hey, you brat!”_

Eren is abruptly ripped out of his daydream, and it takes a second for him to realize that he was probably ignoring Levi for the past few minutes.

“What?”

“Tch.” Levi snorts, but Eren takes no offense of it, as he's gotten pretty good at reading the Captain’s tells. “We’re almost here. Pay attention.”

Eren frowns; they're still surrounded by nothing more than trees and bushes. And then, when they reach the edge of the forest, and he's directly facing the wall, things don't exactly clear up.

“Uh, Levi?” He asks, suddenly wondering if Levi maybe confused his birthday date with Erwin's next expedition. “What are we doing here?”

“Be patient, will you?” Levi chides him. Eren's not exactly above asking again, but decides not to risk Levi's good mood and instead helps him secure the horses when they dismount just a few meters away from the wall.

Suddenly it starts to dawn on him why Levi requested him to bring his 3D maneuver gear. Even though it's not quite clear to him why they would need to climb the walls, when Levi lets his grappling hooks fly into the stone, he's directly behind him.

About half way up, it starts being a game.

They're chasing each other, challenging to go faster and even faster, to be the first one at the finish line. It's a game that Eren obviously looses in the end. When his feet finally hit ground, Levi is already standing at the top, watching him with something that almost resembles a smile.

“Too slow, kid,” he comments amusedly.

Eren huffs. “You're Humanity's Strongest. That's not fair.”

Levi shrugs. “And you're Humanity's Hope, now quit whining.”

Eren grins and follows him further along the wall, to where Levi's already discarded the backpack he's brought with him.

Eren eyes him quizzically.

Levi sits down.

Eren blinks at him.

Levi rolls his eyes. “Do you need a written invitation?”

Eren sits down as well, still not any closer to figuring out what's going on.

Levi sighs. “Look, I don't exactly do this very often. But I was told to spend the day with you, so-“

“Hang on,” Eren interrupts, a grin forming on his face. “You _were told?”_

Levi scowls. “I asked Armin. Stop smiling, I just wanted to have his opinion.”

Eren knows Levi won't admit anything out loud, and as far as he's concerned, it's enough that they both silently know. “So, what are we doing here again?”

Instead of answering, Levi opens the backpack and pulls out bread and round fruits that take Eren a second to identify as oranges. He gasps. “What… Levi, where did you get that?”

He grimaces. “I had some pretty annoying conversations with Hanji, let's leave it at that.”

Levi hands him an orange and Eren can't help but recall _his_ awkward slash annoying conversation with Hanji that earned him meat for Levi's birthday.

“She has her hands in everything, hasn't she?”

Levi grins. “She’s too nosy for her own good. Be thankful you haven't seen her and Erwin disagree on something.”

Eren chuckles, while trying to peel the orange as smoothly as he can, which of course results in him accidentally squirting juice in Levi's direction.

“Oi, try to eat like a civilized person, would you?” Levi immediately snaps at him.

“Yes, Sir!” Eren immediately recites, but it's with a badly concealed grin.

Levi mumbles something under his breath, and it's probably not exactly complimentary, but as soon as Eren tastes the first bite of his orange, Levi's opinion on his manners fades to the back of his mind. “Oh my _god_.”

Levi watches him with a satisfied smirk. “Good, huh?”

Eren nods frantically, torn between just eating the entire thing at once and savoring each bite for as long as he possibly can (considering Levi's distaste of messes he opts for the latter).

“I wasn't sure Hanji would know where to get it,” Levi says, wistfully eyeing what's left of his fruit. “They've been even more scarce than tea ever since Maria fell.”

In Eren's eyes, whatever Hanji did was definitely worth it. He never had an orange before, but if all of them taste like that, it's no wonder the people of Sina keep them all to themselves.

“Thank you,” Eren says honestly. A bit too honestly, maybe, and he instantly cringed because he _knows_ how uncomfortable bare honesty can make Levi, but the words are out and taking them back would be…

“You're welcome, Eren,” Levi replies. Eren looks up, and the Captain’s expression isn't guarded, for once. He swallows and his mind goes blank; he can't think of anything to say to that, and if he lets the silence stretch too long…

Levi moves forward and kisses him. Eren manages a tiny noise and surprise, and Levi pulls back before he has the hands of properly returning the kiss.

“Quit worrying, brat,” he says, and there's that. Eren refocuses on his orange, which is easier than it probably should be, and they both finish their lunch in silence, watching the vast lands of Wall Maria from up above.

When Eren finishes the last piece of his orange, he glances over to Levi, who still has a little less than half left. Levi meets his eyes and raises his eyebrows. Eren feels his ears warm in a telling way and bites his lip. Before he can say anything though, Levi hands him a piece of his fruit. Eren stares at him, open-mouthed, and Levi rolls his eyes. “Eat, before it runs away from you.”

After that, they stay for a bit longer. They've eaten the food Levi brought, but neither of them really wants to get up and return to the HQ. Eren knows that his comrades have probably prepared something as well, but for he moment, he's perfectly content sitting next to Levi on top of Wall Rose.

* * *

 

When they arrive at the HQ, it's already late afternoon. Eren is immediately whisked away by his friends, which Levi doesn't exactly mind.

The little trip they've taken wasn't much - they only went to the Wall and back after all - and a part of him is still unsure if it was the right decision. But then again, Eren squirting orange juice into his uniform was probably the least he's ever been bothered by stains in his clothes, and _that_ almost worries him. Mikasa dragging Eren down to the dormitories is a welcomed opportunity for him to put his thoughts in order.

Of course, that plan is ruined before it even has the chance to start.

“I want details.”

“Hanji,” Levi forces out between clenched teeth. “No.”

“Yes!” She immediately protests. “Come _on_ , I even helped you get all the food!”

Levi closes his eyes and sighs. She does have a point, unfortunately. “We didn't do anything interesting anyway. Lay off, shittyglasses.”

She pouts. “But-“

“Shouldn't you be supervising Sasha in the kitchen?”

She manages to look sheepish at that, which doesn't exactly help to calm Levi's nerves. “I just wanted to make sure you didn't screw anything up,” she replies sullenly.

Levi rolls his eyes. “He's still in one piece, isn't he? Now go, before something starts burning again.”

She relents - finally - and wanders off, hopefully really towards the kitchen.

Levi sighs and decides to take a shower for the remaining time until dinner, in the vague hopes of getting his mind off burning castles and Eren's brilliant eyes.

It doesn't work, mainly because Eren's eyes are annoyingly hard to forget, and he's still a bit trapped in the pleasant feeling their little trip left him with. Which is unsettling, because he isn't used to it, but by any means better than thinking about what a bad idea it is to have Hanji supervising Sasha.

By the time he heads down for dinner, there's multiple worst case scenarios running through his head, all of them not exactly unlikely considering his squad has fucked up less demanding tasks in the past, but when he enters the dining hall, everything is nicely decorated and suspiciously peaceful.

“Corporal!” Levi turns and sees Armin walking towards him. “What do you think?”

Levi shrugs. “The flowers are less muddled up than last time. You helped pick them, didn't you?”

The blonde flushes a bit, but doesn't look away. “Well, yes. But only because Jean really didn't want to do it again.”

Levi rolls his eyes. “Don't worry about it, Arlert, I didn't expect him to anyway.”

Armin nods, visibly relieved. “Eren and the others should be here soon, we're just setting the tables now.”

Levi can't resist asking. “Sasha didn't burn anything again, did she?”

Armin shakes his head and Levi lets himself be guided to one of the tables, his worries dissolving for the moment.

A few minutes later, the rest of his squad joins him, and the room is quickly filled with laughter and loud conversations.

Eren is completely engulfed in talking to his friends, and Levi can't say he minds. He sometimes does, yes, when he's instructing them how to fight and watches Eren practice with one of his comrades.

It's so easy to think that Eren belongs with them, and only them, not him, who's his commanding officer and also twice his age. Eren picked up on those thoughts quicker than Levi would've liked him to, but his reassuring words have also helped him shut those worries down. And, as of now, Eren's relaxed and happy smile makes it impossible for him to worry about their relationship.

He resists the urge to snort. Feeling left out in his own squad is kind of ridiculous, even for him. From what Levi gathers in the snippets of what he can hear of the conversation, the others are pestering Eren about his afternoon with him. And it's not like there's anything particularly interesting to tell anyway, but from the way they're all mumbling in hushed voices that quickly quiet down when they see them sitting at the other end of the table - as if Levi can't hear them - one could almost think Eren returned from war.

Just a short while later, Sasha and Hanji bring out plates full of potatoes and goulash, and everyone falls silent in favor of eating.

Suddenly Levi almost doesn't regret making Sasha be in charge of the food, because just like last time, her cooking makes up for the potential danger of arson. Hell, he can't even distinguish what sort of meat she used; most probably because he's never had it before.

In the end, Levi leaves before everyone else does. No matter how much he might not hate his squad, they're still just teenagers, and there's a headache building behind his eyelids before Hanji even has the chance to pull out the alcohol she no doubt has smuggled in somehow.

However, he's not worried about Eren. He'll be fine with his friends, and as they have Hanji with them, there's absolutely no chance things will get boring.

And when Levi walks past him and lets his fingers lightly trail along Eren's shoulder, there's an unspoken promise of _later_ between them both.


End file.
